TORONTO'S NEW DRUG STRATEGY PLAN IS AS CONFUSING -- AND AS WORTHLESS -- AS
THE DUMB LANGUAGE USED TO DESCRIBE IT

Sometimes I Think It's The Politicians Who Are On Crack.

Check out this Toronto Drug Strategy, released yesterday.

Recommendation 1: "The city of Toronto establish a Toronto Drug Strategy
Implementation Committee to oversee implementation of the strategy and to
monitor and respond to emerging substance use issues in Toronto."

Come again.

Okay, how about Recommendation 2: "The city of Toronto establish a
dedicated secretariat to ensure ongoing implementation of the Toronto Drug
Strategy."

I know you don't want to hear Recommendation 3: "Implementation of the
Toronto Drug Strategy be co-ordinated with related municipal initiatives
such as the Community Safety Plan, the Toronto Strong Neighbourhoods
Strategy, the Toronto Youth Strategy and the Streets to Homes Initiative."

'WASTE OF TREES'

Yeah they are all over this. They're cooking something all right. Anybody
know what the hell it means? I think it means some of their social worker
friends are in for some taxpayer funded implementation counselling jobs --
or at least to strategize the implementation procedures.

That must be good stuff they are smoking. If you want more there are dozens
of other soft recommendations just like those -- with words like
"implementation, priorities, leadership, advocate, co-ordination, needs
assessment, awareness, evaluate, framework, comprehensive, effectiveness
and facilitation."

Million dollar words cost money and this strategy talks a lot about more
social funding.

So let's speak in English. While the politicos were talking this nonsense
at City Hall, the people who smoke crack were laughing their butts off.
Yeah, they looked real scared. "It's a waste of trees," says crack user
Buck on George St., between Gerrard and Dundas.

His pal, known as Glasses, shrugs his shoulders. "This is to create jobs
and money for those who are qualified for them."

I met a bunch of real drug users down there and they were very friendly and
open about the reality of it all. "Any drug you want you can get right
here," says a guy named Justin. "Spend 10 minutes on this street and you'll
find it."

He wasn't kidding. I saw several crack deals going down, saw loads of
people smoking grass, openly drinking beer, numerous crack pipes, knives
and even a syringe -- all while the experts were talking their phony BS in
their press conference. That's what is real. There's no expensive, dare I
say, comprehensive, study necessary.

Just go to George St. downtown. Anytime.

"They are never going to win this war," says Buck. "It's too much of a
business. The money is way too lucrative."

I don't agree. It's our city and I don't think the drug dealers should be
allowed to run it. We have to at least give it a shot. Lord knows anybody
who has their car stereo stolen deserves at least that.

You start by sending all dealers of crack, crystal meth, cocaine, heroine
and the party drugs to prison for a minimum 10 years. If you sell that
stuff to our children you get a minimum 15 years. Too tough for you? Tough.

I looked all through the pages of this thing and didn't see anything
talking about the suppliers of these drugs. I mean you'd think they'd
mention it. The guys down on George St. said the truth is it's all about
the dealers, who rarely end up in jail. When they do get caught they are
out in one day -- easily posting bail.

It wasn't in the report but why not impose $1-million bail condition on
hard drug dealers so they can't go back out and make their lawyer's fee by
hooking our kids?

I mean do you want to fight the drug problem or not?

The guys on George St. said, although they realize it's not realistic, if
there was someway to eliminate the supply, the guys who are hooked might
have a fighting chance. "You want to stop it, you must go to Colombia and
start a war since they don't grow the coco plant here," says Glasses.

"Yeah," says Justin. "Cocaine is from hell."

And there's no high better than the one that seems to come from crack, says
Buck, who adds "I like the lifestyle. It's fun."

USER SINCE 14

But Thomas Howat, 54, says he finds nothing glamorous about it. "Our good
friend Kenny Martin died of an overdose at 32-years-old," he said. "It's
terrible."

Howat says it could have easily been him at different times of his life. "I
have been a user since I was 14," he says, adding methadone helped him get
off of morphine and as a result right now he's clean.

But tomorrow is another day. "I still have cravings," he said.

I showed him the city's report and asked him straight out how he'd solve
this horrible problem.

"I think you have to kick the s--- out of the dealers," he says.

Wonder if the city would ever have the guts to implement a comprehensive
strategy like that? Or at least get an advocate to study it.